Saudi Arabia Denies Report That It is Linked to UK Extremists and
Demands Evidence of the Allegations

“If there is a list of names of Saudi individuals or organisations
with proven links to U.K. terrorism, Henry Jackson Society should
present them and Saudi Arabia will deal with them" – Saudi Minister of
Culture and Information

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JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia denied allegations circulated in a report
carried by the British media this week that it is linked to UK terrorism
and demanded that the think tank produce the evidence behind the
allegations.

Following the publication of the Henry Jackson Society report which
alleged that the Kingdom was a “chief promoter of Islamist extremism in
the U.K.”, the Saudi Minister of Culture and Information, H.E. Dr. Awwad
Alawwad, stated: “We are surprised that such a report would be issued
without evidence.”

"The government of Saudi Arabia has studied the report with great
concern, and we demand Henry Jackson Society to provide us with the
verified evidence that leads to their conclusions. Saudi Arabia has
repeatedly been a victim of terrorism itself, and is committed to
combating terrorism and fighting extremism, both inside the Kingdom and
across the world.”

The Minister added: “There are a number of things to consider when
evaluating a report of this nature. The first is the nature of the
entity producing the report, and the second is whether the references
used in the report come from verifiable sources. I am surprised that
many mainstream media have taken this report at face value without
thoroughly checking either of these.”

The Minister said the report, and ensuing media coverage, used a broad
brush approach, as HJS used the alleged actions of individuals and
organisations to extrapolate broadly in leveling the allegations against
the Kingdom:

“As far as the content of the report is concerned, many of the major
allegations made in the report are not substantiated in sufficient
detail to support the allegations. If there is a list of names of Saudi
individuals or organisations with proven links to U.K. terrorism, the
think tank should present them and Saudi Arabia will deal with them."